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PROMOTING INNOVATIONS FROM INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE IN SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN

ZIMBABWE

Lantern Rangarirai FUSIRE1 and Similo NGWENYA2

1Lecturer. Department of Library and Information Science, NUST, Bulawayo, ZimbabweEmail:lantern.fusire@nust.ac.zw; fusirelantern@gmail.com

2Research Fellow. Department of Library and Information Science, NUST, Zimbabwe Email:similo.ngwenya@nust.ac.zw; simingwe@webmail.co.za

Abstract

This study sought to identify indigenous innovations among selected communities in

improvement and permanency. To accomplish the purpose of the study, the interpretive paradigm was used as the methodological theory. The study used a multiple case study approach. The population of the study was based on the participation of members in a

in the selected communities. Recommendations were that libraries should play a more active role in promoting such and other similar innovations.

Keywords: Indigenous Knowledge; Innovation; Information and Communication Technologies

1. Introduction

Studies have shown that there is a great correlation between Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and sustainable development. A number of authors, Malhotra 2001; Gorjestani 2000, Grenier 2000; and Lalonde acknowledge that IK is a critical factor for sustainable development. It is a key

gain control of their own lives. It contributes positively to the innovation process. However, until recently, little attention has been given to “local innovation” stemming from traditional knowledge as well as management practices and institutions developed by communities and local actors (Torri and Laplante 2009). There used to be widespread tendency to regard traditional knowledge as a treasure to store and document for posterity before it is lost. Research has since shown that IK, like any other knowledge, needs to be integrated into development impact (Gorjastani 2000), and it needs to be channeled into mainstream knowledge systems through appropriate knowledge management frameworks.

value of indigenous innovations to the Zimbabwean society. The key questions addressed in this study revolve around understanding how communities and local actors in the country build on their social and cultural traditions and practices to create and adapt their knowledge in order to favour innovation; how their capacity to learn and innovate can be recognized and facilitate to contribute to local development; and how local capacity is built to facilitate continuous learning that sustains innovation.

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channels over time among the members of a social system” (Rogers, 2003,p. 7 cited in Ashley, 2009:36). An innovation process consists of putting knowledge into use, whether it is new, accumulated or simply used in a creative manner in response to market opportunities or other social needs (Parellada 2001). This process is characterized by the presence of diverse agents and complex interactions between them (Spielman 2005). Innovations are seen as social constructs

political power (Oyeyinka 2005).

Source: Rogers (1995)

It has been realized that indigenous communities thrive in the gradual adoption of innovations and the context in which such innovations are accepted strongly depends on a number of the social system variables. However, most of innovations that get adopted in indigenous communities are based on trial and error as the innovations get tested in a practical context of survival. Such innovations are derived in the context of social obligation to contribute to the sustenance of the whole community. These manifest in a wide range of areas such as agriculture, health, economics, education, social networks and other contexts. Indigenous people are generally conservative in nature and much of what they develop is mostly from their worldview and their strong belief in spirituality. In fact, innovations in indigenous communities are not individually owned but are part of some revelation from the spiritual realm and are meant for the survival of the community rather than individuals. While this collective ownership of innovations may be

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one can stand up to claim ownership. This results in lack of permanency and perpetuation of the innovations and the eventual disappearance of such noble developments. This study sought to identify such innovations among selected communities, assess their acceptability in the context

permanency.

2. Statement of the problem

Modern society has its established way of recognizing innovations and promoting their recognition through recordal systems and through intellectual property rights. However, while indigenous communities are engaged in various ingenuous innovations, these are mostly community- based and collectively owned such that no one can claim ownership outright ownership of an

or the disappearance of indigenous innovations. The study raised the following question, what innovations are being realized in selected indigenous communities in Gwanda in Matabeleland South, Mateta in Midlands and Majiji area in Bubi. How can libraries promote such innovations and permanency?.

3. Research Objectives

The following were the objectives of the study:

To identify innovations that are being realized in selected communities.

To examine the value of such innovations.

in IK.

To establish the context libraries can be used to promote such innovations.

4. Methodology

The interpretive paradigm was used as the methodological theory. The interpretive paradigm was adopted in this study to get an understanding underpinning the development of innovations

by modern society, and the role of libraries in promoting such innovations. The study used a multiple case study approach which provided a holistic view and a rounded picture given many sources of evidence used. Yin (2003) states that a multiple case study design enables the

across cases. The researchers deliberately chose, 1 Gwanda rural area because of the practical support communities in this area were getting from the Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library in Gwanda, 2 Mateta area in Gokwe, Midlands because of accessibility and prevalence of products at the market place in Bulawayo, 3. Majiji because of the prevalent of market products from this area in the market place in Bulawayo. The population of the study was based on the participation of members in a given innovation or project. As a result the areas included in the study did not have the number of subjects. Gwanda had more participants because of the numbers of innovative projects which were happening there. Selection of the participants was based on the snowballing sampling technique. Majiji and Mateta had fewere participants because of the number of projects

between the month of October 2015 and February 2016. The following table shows that number of participants within a project:

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Area Projects/Innovations ParticipantsGwanda 1.

2. Poultry3. Nutritional gardens4. Goat rearing5. Soap making6. Craft

9

6

21

8

6

12Mateta 1. Craft making

2. Market gardening3. Produce marketing and selling4. Wild fruits/Orchards fruits selling

2

8

9

5Majiji 1. Field crops marketing and selling

2. Wild fruits harvesting and selling3. Market gardening

4

4

4

Table 1: Study sample

with Gwanda communities who were involved in the various innovations/projects. In Majiji, the

as this organisation was involved in the promotion of projects in Matabeleland North in which Majiji area belonged.

The study used interviews, focus group discussions, and observation as instruments for gathering data. Interviews were meant to gather data from key persons in the projects or innovations. Ethical considerations were taken into account considering the conservative nature of indigenous communities and their wary of foreign intervention. Consent was sought before conducting the

5. Findings

with established groups of the communities within the selected areas. In Gwanda, the following

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to rely mostly on donations for survival.

5.3. Poultry

A case of the poultry project is in Gwanda North, where a group called Ndonsakusa comprising of six female members embarked on building fowl runs in every individual member’s homestead in a bid to increase output and maintain a constant supply to a restaurant in Gwanda Town.

Figure 2: Poultry from Ndonsakusa study group

5.4. Nutritional gardens

In 2008 21 women formed the Sibambene nutrition garden project. They engaged in nutritional gardening projects with the aim of ridding themselves of poverty and being empowered economically

Figure 3: Women from Sibambene study circle harvesting vegetables

5.5. Goat rearing

These started in 2009. Members were used to the traditional way of keeping goats where they were released to roam the forest. Discussions and reading/studies increased the Groups’ knowledge of rearing these small livestock animals.

5.6. Soap making

This group comprises of 5 women and 1 man. Members in the group make bath and laundry soaps and candles from jatropha oil. The soap is medicinal and can be used to cure sores such as ring worms. The soap and candles made from jatropha oil is sold to people in the community. Besides soap making, jatropha oil is also used to light lamps and the scent of the oil chases mosquitoes at night.

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Figure 4: Jatropha beans grounded to make soap, Vaseline jelly and oil

5.7. Craft

This group specialises in craft making. The Craft groups added to their activities decorative art in their homes. At some instance, members in the group were introduced to a new form of craft

household income. One member went further and decorated her yard by planting shrubs and

Figure 5: Craft made from sisal plants and a mud stove and pot

5.8. Craft

While there is no coordinated group work on craft in Mateta, it was evidenced that there exists ingenious skills in a variety of craft work. These include: mat making, basketry, stool making,

like mbira, decorative artwork depicting carefully crafted designs on huts showing an untapped intrinsic ethno-mathematics skills.

5.9. Market Gardening

Most families in the Mateta are thrive on market gardening. A variety of garden crops such as

throughout the seasons in accordance with suitability of the weather. These are used to sustain families as food and also for commercial purposes.

5.10 Produce marketing and selling

A number of indigenous families in Mateta rely on the expertise of family members to generate

colleagues at the markets in Bulawayo. Depending on what is available and demand they are able to supply a variety of their produce to the markets. The produce such as sorghum, millet,

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and other types of small grains are transported from the rural areas and sold at market prices. Market prices and the produce on demand is communicated through networking of members of the syndicate.

Figure 6: Some millet being sold at the market place in Bulawayo

Some of the products which are brought to the market include dried vegetables of various types, wild and orchard fruits according to their seasons.

Figure 7: Some orchard and wild fruits sold at the market place in Bulawayo

Figure 8: Lady who is part of the marketing group selling dried vegetables

Supply of these various products has a number of advantages. The processing of most of these products retains the nutritious value and their availability in the market place promotes indigenous

of these products provides sustenance to the rural folk. It was found out that syndicates were also prevalent in the Majiji area In Budi district. The rural members of the syndicates would provide a

place. They were in constant contact with each other and would know the pricing ranges and the products that were in demand at any given time.

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6. Value brought by indigenous innovations to communities

The following values were ascertained to be provided by the various innovations raised in the selected communities:

Communities were able to provide for their families without relying on donations. It was realized that Gwanda is a semi-arid area which receives little rainfall resulting in persistent droughts. Available of alternative means of sustenance is a welcome development to the Gwanda people and acceptance of the said innovations improved people’s livelihoods.New ideas brought about opportunities for development within the communities and provided hope for the future. Projects enabled families to send their children to school and move steps away from poverty.Innovations of the projects brought unity and networking and also facilitated assimilation of new knowledge. This exposure to new knowledge enhance the ability of indigenous communities to innovate.Innovations facilitated the infusion Information and Communication Technologies with indigenous innovations and practices.

communities

innovation to be either rejected or accepted. In the context of the results of the study, indigenous communities possessed requisite knowledge of their projects. Because these projects were

persuasion and decisions to take part in the innovation were obvious. The only resistance to support the projects was encountered in Mateta were community leaders were discouraging the wanton harvesting of wild fruits in large quantities. The infusion of indigenous knowledge and new ideas of supporting families provided concrete acceptance of the innovations as it was proved that families could survive from the rewards of being engages in such innovations.

6.2 Role of libraries in promoting indigenous innovations

Community libraries serve many diverse functions. Besides being venues for the reading and lending of books, research by Herz and Spelling (2004); Shrestha (2013) and in the Mortenson Centre public lecture series (2013) has shown that community libraries are well placed to address issues of sustainability, empowerment and development of communities. Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library provides a perfect example of a framework of a community library that goes

The library has been active in the building and development of community initiatives in rural and remote areas in Gwanda. The library established 29 study circle programmes which provide

soap through Jatropha beans, vegetable and nutritional gardening, poultry, goat rearing and craft making. These activities transformed the livelihoods of community members living in one of the poorest communities in the country. The library has also used modern information tools technology tools such as cellphones to facilitate communication within group members, funders and marketers.

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7. Conclusions and Recommendations

communities. These innovations were of value to members of the communities as the improved sustainability of their families. While there were mixed feelings particularly with projects to do with wild fruits harvesting, indigenous communities generally accepted the new innovations and also incorporated the use of modern technologies such as cell phones in facilitating communication. Libraries play an important role in encouraging and promoting such innovations as was the case of Edward Ndlovu Memorial library in Gwanda.

communities as they assist in the sustenance of livelihoods of not only rural communities, but also marginal urban families. Libraries should include the promotions of such innovations and others that go unrecorded due to the oral nature of indigenous people.

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